TELECOMS company BT is running a nationwide competition to find the new voice of the speaking clock.

The BBC reports that the contest will mark the 80th anniversary of the telephone service, which receives 12 million calls a year.

And whoever wins, they will be only the fifth person to give the time "at the third stroke" when people dial 123.

Previous voices have included an actor and a London telephone exchange supervisor.

The speaking clock service, which began on July 24, 1936 and is now called Timeline, provides the precise time, announced every 10 seconds at any time of day or night.